


let me face hurricanes

by ladyballs_and_manboobs



Series: The Casa Rametta Chronicles [5]
Category: SKAM (Italy)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 03:57:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17439500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyballs_and_manboobs/pseuds/ladyballs_and_manboobs
Summary: Martino's courage is tested.





	let me face hurricanes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ocadktda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ocadktda/gifts).



> title song is Hurricanes by Dido (don't listen to it while reading, it will break your heart)

_N: Do you mind if I come by tonight? Mom is being difficult again about my uni choices…_

_M: You know I don’t mind. just let yourself in, I’ll be back late. helping Fili out with a thing_

_N: For free?_

_M: That’s what volunteering is all about_

_N: This is child labor:P_

_M: Idiot <3_

_N: <3_

* * *

You grip the keys to keep them from jingling as you open the door, moving carefully and slowly, like you’re breaking into your own home. You don’t want to disturb anyone. The house is mostly dark, with a faint stripe of light under your room’s door. You sigh and move towards it, hoping that Nico is asleep by now.

He’s there, a small bundle under your covers on the right side of the bed. You smile at the sight of him, his limp hand resting on the spine of that Elena Ferrante novel he’s been carrying with him all month. He’s been waiting up for you.

You barely have time to cross the room, put the book away, and turn off the lamp when he stirs with a confused little grumble. It’s the most endearing sound in the world.

“You’re back? What time is it?”

“Shhh. It’s late o’clock, just go back to sleep, Ni.”

Unsatisfied, he paws at you in the dark, and you let him catch one of your hands. He kisses your palm, then brings it to his cheek and holds it there.

“Your hands are cold. Come to bed.”

“I’ll brush my teeth and come right back, ok?”

“Ok”, he whispers, but he doesn’t let go of your hand for another moment.

The bright lights in the bathroom hurt your eyes, and you brush your teeth in record time, barely glancing at the mirror. You just want to go back to Nico. That’s all you want tonight.

You lift the edge of the duvet and slip under it, Nico’s warmth and Nico’s scent enveloping you seconds before his arms do the same. Normally, you’d lie on your back and let him latch onto you, hooking his leg over yours, or face him and let your bodies slot into each other, like the first night you spent together. This time you rest on your right side, but Nico’s not bothered. He is just as happy to be plastered over your back and sighs as if to say “finally, I thought you’d never finish your beauty routines”.

You find Nico’s hand on your middle and squeeze it briefly before letting go. Your knuckles ache but it doesn’t matter. It feels good to have Nico’s body between you and the world as you fall asleep.

* * *

Waking up with Nico is one of your favorite things in the world. Waking up with Nico’s lips tracing invisible lines on your neck, hot puffs of breath setting your skin alight, is even more wonderful. You hum lazily to let him know his efforts are appreciated and feel the mattress dip as he lifts himself up on one elbow and pulls on your shoulder.

“Morning,” you groan as you turn over to face him. You realize your mistake half a second before Nico’s sharp gasp.  _Fuck._

“Marti, what happened to your face?”

You should have prepared him, somehow, but you really didn’t know how to go about it. What is the softest way to tell your boyfriend  _I’m so sorry you have to see me like this, but I was sort of attacked by two bastards on the way from the LGBT community center and if it hadn’t been for the bus driver who picked me up in the middle of the road I don’t know what would have happened to me?_

It’s too late for caution anyway, so you sit up against the headboard and tell it straight, head lowered to spare Nico the sight. When you run out of words, you look up to see his face covered in tears. It feels like a cold cruel hand squeezing your heart.

“Nico, please, don’t…”

He shakes his head and moves closer to you, takes your face in his hands like it’s made of glass. His eyes linger over your bruised cheekbone, the cut on your lower lip, the scrape on your chin. It must look worse than yesterday, you think, the left side of your face throbbing when you try for a sad smile.

“Do I still look pretty?”

This is the wrong thing to say. Nico sits up and clings to you like a vice, holds you so tight that you can’t breathe in properly.  _Marti, Marti, Marti_ he chants between violent sobs that shake his entire body, and you can’t do anything but brush your palms down his back, trying to calm him.

His pain hits your harder than your own; for the first time since you curled up in the back seat of that empty bus, clutching your backpack to your chest, you feel anger instead of fear towards your attackers. It’s like they managed to reach Nico through you, made you the vessel of their brutality. As much as you love holding him, you wish Nico were back home right now, oblivious.

Nico’s sobs die down. You feel the tip of his nose at the base of your neck, his wet eyelashes, and you feel his lips move when he mutters:

“I want to kill them.”

You sigh, but really you are glad to hear he can form full sentences again.

“You’ll have to get in line. I called Fili from the bus and he was…livid. It was scary, believe me. The whole time he was driving me to the police station he was growling like a grizzly bear.”

Nico pushes away from you, his hands on your shoulders. He sounds betrayed.

“You’ve been to the police station?”

“I didn’t really want to, but Fili insisted. He said that’s the best way to bring those guys to justice. He got the bus driver to testify as well. He was unstoppable.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

It’s a perfectly reasonable question from a boyfriend, and there are so many possible answers in your head.  _I didn’t want you there_ would be too harsh, and untrue. You wanted Nico by your side so bad in those moments, trembling on the hard plastic chair, holding an icepack to your face and answering the policeman’s repetitive questions. You thought you recognized him from somewhere and then it hit you – it was the same guy you escaped from after Federicona’s party, when the boys were convinced you still had the weed on you.  _I’ve come full circle._

“I didn’t want you to worry.”

Nico’s nostrils flare, and his voice goes low and flat with suppressed tears.

“What if something like this happened to me? Would you be okay after finding out later?”

Your vision goes dark for a second and your fists clench, hard.

“Nothing like this will ever happen to you, you hear me? I won’t allow it.” The thought of anyone laying hands on Nico makes you nauseous. You’d rather die first.

Nico wants to say something else, but thinks better of it. His hands return to your cheeks, softly, and then he’s ghosting his lips over every bruised and tender spot. His touch has never been so light and fearful before, not even when he hooked his pinky under yours on the edge of a trashcan. Your heart can barely stand it.

You don’t know how much time passes before Nico puts your foreheads together and gazes into your eyes. This is familiar, this is your home. You relax into it.

“Marti, you are the man of my life, you know that?” You nod. “I will stand by you through anything. You take care of me, and you must let me do the same for you. Don’t shut me out, okay? Promise me.”

The passion in his voice leaves you shaken, grateful. “I promise, Nico.” And you mean it.

* * *

The next few days are frantic. You have to deal with your devastated mother, your visibly shaken father, with absolutely murderous Gio. Luchino seems to be taking it well until you find him sniffling in Nico’s arms. The entire girl squad shows up to fawn over you, captained by Eleonora. Back in class, Emma comes up to you and you have one of the top 3 most uncomfortable talks of your acquaintance.

“I was so stupid. I didn’t realize,” she mutters, wincing at your face, and you tell her you forgave her long ago anyway.

In truth, you’re not as unfazed as you’re letting on. You jump at loud sounds and your jaw clenches when you cross paths with a rowdy company in the street. But you still wear the pin Fili gave you, and you kiss your boyfriend hello and goodbye wherever you are. You try to stay yourself, despite everything.

With Nico by your side, you know it’s all worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> L’amore è la cosa più bella del mondo, è la cosa più bella che ci possa capitare e quindi perché odiare una cosa così bella? Perché si deve versare odio su questa cosa? Non ha alcun senso. (c) Federico Cesari


End file.
